Innholdsfortegnelse for August/September 2025 i Woodsmith

Starting a furniture building project is always exciting, but it can also be intimidating. There can be a lot of parts in a piece of furniture. Where do you begin? In the past, cutting diagrams were provided for projects as an aid to getting started, but we are not including the cutting diagrams anymore as they are based on perfect and therefore imaginary boards. As woodworkers we know that perfect boards don’t exist and that dealing with variations in color, grain, defects and random widths are all part of the challenge of building with wood. After nearly 50 years of building projects in the Woodsmith production shop we just knew it was time to move on from imaginary cut diagrams and explain the simple and effective approach that we use…

There are a few keystone categories in furniture building: cabinets, dressers, tables, bookshelves — just to name a few. Yet, one that I see far less frequently is bed frames. It makes sense. If we’re to put all the time and effort into a project, it’s nice to have it shown off. Not only is a bed obscured by its mattress, but it’s also shown to guests rather rarely. However, it’s a place that you (and perhaps another of significance) will see everyday, and that alone makes it worth the investment. The bed you see here is the second project in a series by our designer, John Doyle. These projects are linked by the use of cherry, their focus on classic joinery techniques, and their direct, functional designs. NOTE:…

Industrial-style furniture proves to have lasting appeal. Whether it’s reclaimed from an existing building or built new, pieces with a heavy-duty, time-worn look draw admiring glances. Here’s the thing: real pieces are often made from cast iron or steel. They’re heavy and challenging to move or install. That’s where the unique shelving unit you see in these photos comes in. Design editor Dillon Baker played around with details that call back to the machine age, but without the metalwork (well, mostly). The wall standards look like steel box beams but are actually assembled from MDF. Check out the paint color on page 66 to transform the brown into steel gray. The shelves play into the hardworking theme as well. Aluminum angle conceals the plywood edge and provides durable protection. Don’t…

Most of the materials and supplies you’ll need to build the projects are available at hardware stores or home centers. For specific products or hard-to-find items, take a look at the sources listed here. You’ll find each part number listed by the company name. See the left margin for contact information. MAIL ORDER SOURCES Project supplies may be ordered from the following companies: Woodsmith Store 800-444-7527 store.woodsmith.com Amana Tool 631-752-1300 amanatool.com Arbortech 866-517-7869 arbortechtools.com Bear Hollow Supply 800-920-8066 bearhollowsupply.com Benjamin Moore benjaminmoore.com Horton Brasses 860-635-4400 horton-brasses.com King Arthur Tools 850-877-7650 katools.com Kreg kregtool.com Lee Valley 800-871-8158 leevalley.com Lowe’s lowes.com Milwaukee milwaukeetool.com Rockler 800-279-4441 rockler.com Woodcraft 800-535-4486 woodcraft.com Woodline USA 800-472-6950 woodline.com Woodpeckers 800-752-0725 woodpeck.com HEAVY METAL (p.18) • Lowe’s Modern Masters 2758326 GREAT GEAR (p.22) If you’re interested in trying out…

Cordless tools have come a long way over the last decade. Lithium-ion batteries, brushless motors, and modern, high-capacity cells have allowed cordless tools to stretch their legs into spaces formerly relegated to their more powerful, corded cousins. Several brands have led the charge (so to speak) for battery-powered tools, and Milwaukee is doubtlessly one of the most well-known. We’ve looked at a variety of tools from Milwaukee in past editions of Great Gear, and here we have two more that occupy opposite ends of the spectrum in my shop. On one hand, we have the M18 FUEL Compact Router on this page, which has seen some pretty frequent use since it arrived. On the following pages, you’ll find a tool whose use is more niche in a woodshop, though no…

Exploded View Details CHISEL PLANE DIMENSIONS: 13⁄16”D x 3¼”W x 2”H SMOOTHING PLANE DIMENSIONS: 13⁄16"D x 3¼"W x 2¼"H Handplanes are an integral part of my shop. Even though most of my heavy-lifting is done with power tools, every project gets hit with a handplane to some extent. Sometimes it’s to clean up the face of a board. Sometimes, a quick edge chamfer. At the very least, I use one of my specialty planes to fine-tune joinery. With as much joy as I find in using planes, that excitement is taken to another level when it’s a handplane that I’ve made myself. The two small planes you see here, a smoother and a chisel plane, are great ways to get started in toolmaking. As you can see in the photo…

When I started getting serious about woodworking, big routers and big bits were the rage. New 3hp machines the size of a droid came on the market. To go with these behemoths, bit makers introduced ever-larger bits. My “favorite” were the panel-raising bits that sound like helicopters from M.A.S.H. It turns out that what many woodworkers wanted was smaller routers (and the bits to go with them). In the years since, compact or trim routers have comprised most of the new releases, including cordless models. These small routers only accept ¼" shank bits. This limit has spurred the creativity of bit makers to produce cutters that make the most of the portability and practicality of small routers. Hiding in plain sight, dado cleanout bits prove themselves in project after project…